penwithcris

There is a substantial reward being offered to the person who provides evidence leading to the arrest and conviction of the murderers so it is little wonder that witnesses have now come forward to try to obtain this reward money

The problem is that evidence is likely to be concocted and, thereby, further muddying the already murky waters

It's becoming like the Liverpool edition of 'Cluedo' where they ALL did it!

My girlfriend got groped by a 'baggage handler'

Said he was just doing his job!

My 'middle leg' became hugely swollen following an accident

I begged the hospital - 'TAKE AWAY THE PAIN BUT LEAVE THE SWELLING'

So sad that Thailand has become the new CRIME HUB of South East Asia

When I first began to visit Thailand foreigners were generally law abiding and respectful. It was a lot to do with economics. Mainly 'middle class' tourists visited. It was quite expensive to fly in and stay

But the advent of cheap flights and package holidays changed all that. The quality of visitor altered. Even UK benefit claimants could afford two weeks in the sun between giro payments

Am I sounding impossibly snobbish? Well, yes, I probably am, but Thailand's cheapness as a destination has now sucked in all these unsavoury Eastern Europeans and the government seems to be pandering to their every need

Numbers of tourists seems to be the only watchword for the tourism industry here. If only they would concentrate on quality rather than quantity

What's the point of increasing Thailand's GDP if, as a consequence, the country descends into s crime ridden sh-t hole?

Why's there a flock of sheep outside the house? Is this to attract buyers from Wales?

If Welshmen didn't sh-g sheep there'd be no Englishmen!

It is interesting to note that an eminent female High Court judge in the UK has made similar remarks to the Thai PM recently that young women do put themselves at unnecessary risk by dressing provocatively and consuming too much alcohol.

I don't know why there is such an outcry at such sensible remarks.

If one got caught up in a house fire having left an open fire unguarded, or failed to install smoke detectors, or made a habit of drinking heavily and falling asleep while smoking, then, despite sympathy for the victim, questions would reasonably be asked as to why the person was so careless

Forget the issue of clothing in this sad murder case, would the couple still be alive had they consumed less alcohol and refrained from, what appears to have been, having sex in a public place only yards away from other party goers?

Thailand has become more and more unsafe for foreigners over the years I'm sorry to say

But people do put themselves at risk by drinking too heavily and making themselves vulnerable

I guess I'm an old misery but attending beach raves and getting blind drunk is my perception of Hell

I'd rather be safe and boring thanks

Of course Thailand is not unique. Where there are murders any where in the World drink and drugs are not usually far away, and, of course, many of the horrendous road death statistics in Thailand share the same root causes

Sober up and stay safe friends

I think I would be employing the services of a private detective. There is probably collision from other members of the family. Thailand is a big country but very hard to disappear

Presumably the lady will need more money at some point. Has she got and used a bank card. That would give some idea of whereabouts

Have to give the guy the benefit of the doubt about his behaviour towards his wife and children

In the Far East this mammoth win would probably be some kind of scam or a 'fix' but it is reassuring that Ladbroke's are a very reputable UK company

Maybe this young lady would like to buy a nice plot of land around Chester or invest in a beautiful home in the Premier footballer's belt in Cheshire

Not something I could do if I won an equivalent amount given the anti Farang property and land ownership restrictions

Don't feel even a hint of jealousy. I just hope that the winner can cope with all the pressures that will follow her win

Lots of sick buffaloes on the horizon

There is not another country in Europe that has such a restrictive visa policy as Russia.

I hope Thailand is not bullied by the Kremlin into affording Russians a more relaxed visa policy than other countries have to accept

Russians have, in my view, devalued Thailand as a tourist destination. Any visa restrictions placed on them are to be welcomed

I understand it was lead poisoning from all those fillings!

I hope Thailand still performs capital punishment. A swift trial, conviction and execution is what is called for here. Bring some sort of closure for the family. Unlike the UK where families of the murdered have to watch and suffer as the perpetrators of often horrendous crimes are allowed to live into old age in a cosy tax payer funded institution, sometimes achieving celebrity status.

I asked one of these Uzbek girls for sex and she told me it was $10 back at my hotel or $5 against the nearest lamp post

I gave her $10 and she started walking off towards the hotel district

Where the hell are you going, I shouted, I want it twice against a lamp post!

Ermita, Manila used to be a centre for clubs and prostitution in the city in the late 1900"s, and I should know, I spent very happy times in the clubs and bars along del Pilar Street and surrounding areas

A draconian purge saw the complete closure of this 'entertainment' area and clubs and sex workers were driven north to places like Olongapo.

This could, and perhaps should, happen to Pattaya. If Thailand must appeal to sex tourists and provide a 'reservation' for sex workers, it should be developed somewhere in it's heartlland away from family friendly locations. The equivalent of South Africa's 'Sin City'

A mammoth task but it would be worth it in the end. Wouldn't it be refreshing to watch a travelogue or documentary on Thailand without constant references to Pattaya, Patpong, Walking Street etc.

This conjure up memories how Cardinal Sin and the mayor of Manila cleaned up Eremite

and the Malate districts of all the hundreds of bars there in one fell swoop. that have resulted in massive

unemployment and significant drop in tourists to manila..

The same going to happened here, massive drop in tourism and even bigger drop in real estate

and hotel occupancy rates, let see if the new PM have big enough balls to take the Pattaya's

godfathers on.....

I was caned regularly at school on both the hands and the backside, and had my ears nearly torn off by the Art teacher

I was also getting whacked at home by my father

Not sure what the moral of this tale is. Don't think any of the beatings did me any good, it just made me highly resentful towards perpetrators.

I guess it was a useful experience to carry forward as a parent. Although i've fathered eight children I've only smacked two of the boys once each sensibly on their bums. I was determined not to carry the abuse I suffered on to the next generation (as so often happens)

This young boy has been damaged for life by his sadistic teacher. He will live with the memory of this beating forever and may, eventually, return the favour on society

In an ideal World the teacher would be sacked and never allowed to work with children again. If he is so abusive in the school environment heaven knows how he behaves in his own home

Unfortunately Thailand is an imperfect country where violence is always simmering under the surface - maybe childhood beatings are the reason?

I wondered what had happened to Sven Goran Eriksson?

I gave the Thai owner of the local street stall a wink and two fingers on my way back to my condo

Five minutes later he turned up with a gun in one hand and a meat cleaver in the other

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WINK FOR!

yes, 1112 and the like.. Next.

No not the same!

Ordinary Thai food 40 baht ; nothing like phoning for a pizza!

well ok then, to play along. yes this is not unique to you. I actually gave the moo ping guy a wink and 4 fingers on my way back from 711 to my condo, 10 mins later he showed up with 4 moo pings in hand = 35 baht. Sticky rice was extra however.

My family is littered with ladyboys but try as I might I find it very difficult to like them as people

They are unfailingly self obsessed and selfish. They try to take advantage of every situation. Quite prepared to 'use' other peoples food, accommodation and personal effects without asking

Far from being an oppressed minority they seem to be treated with 'kid gloves' when they offend

My Thai wife was the marketing manager at Tiffany's in Pattaya and witnessed the 'ugly side' of this motley group

Even those ladyboys that work in 'normal' jobs seem to have a defensive edge to them that I find unappealing

I'm not usually as opinionated when discussing minorities but katoeys leave me cold

Some Thai girls I have encountered are naturally reserved. In the main they have been raised in a traditional Thai family when being too talkative and emotional are frowned upon

On the other hand girls that are selling sex and trying to net a Farang have to sell themselves by being outgoing and chatty

I guess a happy medium would be ideal, but not easy to find

But self analysis is important too.How many men measure up to a woman's ideal partner?

I don't think the questioner is happy in his relationship and it is hard to see the situation improving over the long term.

Maybe it's time to jump ship and move on. One thing above all in the LOS is that there is an abundance of attractive, available women at one's fingertips

Maybe your partner would also be relieved to be out of her unexciting, sexless relationship?

In the 1970's I worked as a 'Diplomatic Inspector' in central London, a job that entailed me visiting Embassies and High Commissions advising them on Employment and Tax laws for locally recruited staff
Now you would think I would encounter the cream of each countries society, but I used to dread my visits to the Nigerian High Commission. Their security staff treated me like Western s---t and I was constantly being pressed to illegally obtain passports or National Insurance numbers for the Nigerian staff
It was always a relief to step back into London from the foul atmosphere of Nigeria's small plot of land in the UK,and walk past the dozens of illegally parked high end limo's with Diplomatic Plates to a friendly welcome at the American Embassy or the many other charming missions based in the London area
As Shakespeare might have written 'there is something rotten in the state of (Denmark) Nigeria'

Seem to remember Thaksin Shinawatra introducing a similar 15 baht scheme when in office
I really miss his forward thinking ideas
I'm sure the country would be in a far stronger position in every way if he had not been illegally forced out
OK he was corrupt. Pretty well every politician Worldwide is guilty of some form of corruption
It's whether the net benefits to the country outweigh the cost of the corrupt practices
This scheme looks superficially laudable, but I'm sure operating it will be fraught with difficulties
Let 'the market' determine the cost of a meal.

My wife's gynaecologist has a habit of pushing two fingers rather than one finger inside her when examining her

When quizzed about this he smiled and told her, 'one finger for business, dear, and one finger for pleasure'!!